Lipid globules in retina and choroid are new definitions based on pathology and high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT examination shows that the lipid globules are low reflective circular cavities in the choroid and retina, without strong reflective boundaries around them, followed by a characteristic superreflective tail. It occurs in healthy human eyes and in age-related macular degeneration characterized by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy. Its characteristic superreflective tail is the key to distinguishing it from other diseases. At present, the understanding of lipid globules is still in the initial stage. Although lipid globules can be observed in healthy human eyes, a certain prevalence rate indicates that they are associated with choroidal hypoperfusion and RPE atrophy. In the future, larger randomized controlled trials and longer follow-up time are needed to explore its pathogenesis, pathological characteristics and treatment prognosis.
Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) have been widely used in biomedical and bioengineering research in vitro because its structure and function are similar to natural cell membrane. A fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique was used to measure the lateral diffusion of the SLBs composed of 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-［(N-(5-amino-1-carboxyp-entyl) iminodiacetic acid)］ (DGS-NTA) on the glass slide, and the effects of the DOPC-to-DGS-NTA ratio, small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) producing method, sizes of bleaching areas and concentrations of loading proteins on the SLBs fluidity and diffusion coefficient were studied systematically in this paper. The results demonstrated that: (1) SUV made by probe sonication exhibited more uniform and smaller size compared with that made by film extrusion, but the whole process of SLBs formation must not be exposed to air. (2) The fluorescence recovery rate and diffusion coefficient of the SLBs decreased with the increasing bleaching area size. With the mole ratio of DOPC to DGS-NTA decreasing from 98∶2 to 84∶16, the fluidity and fluorescence recovery degree decreased gradually, and the SLBs would lose its fluidity if the ratio reached to 82∶18. (3) The average fluorescence intensity of SLBs increased linearly with the loading protein concentration (10–40 nmol·L–1), and the protein showed good mobility on the SLBs. The study would provide a good platform of bio-membrane for further research on interactions among cell membrane molecules and subsequent signals response.
In resting platelets, the 17th domain of filamin a (FLNa17) constitutively binds to the platelet membrane glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) at its cytoplasmic tail (GPIbα-CT) and inhibits the downstream signal activation, while the binding of ligand and blood shear force can activate platelets. To imitate the pull force transmitted from the extracellular ligand of GPIbα and the lateral tension from platelet cytoskeleton deformation, two pulling modes were applied on the GPIbα-CT/FLNa17 complex, and the molecular dynamics simulation method was used to explore the mechanical regulation on the affinity and mechanical stability of the complex. In this study, at first, nine pairs of key hydrogen bonds on the interface between GPIbα-CT and FLNa17 were identified, which was the basis for maintaining the complex structural stability. Secondly, it was found that these hydrogen bonding networks would be broken down and lead to the dissociation of FLNa17 from GPIbα-CT only under the axial pull force; but, under the lateral tension, the secondary structures at both terminals of FLNa17 would unfold to protect the interface of the GPIbα-CT/FLNa17 complex from mechanical damage. In the range of 0~40 pN, the increase of pull force promoted outward-rotation of the nitrogen atom of the 563rd phenylalanine (PHE563-N) at GPIbα-CT and the dissociation of the complex. This study for the first time revealed that the extracellular ligand-transmitted axial force could more effectively relieve the inhibition of FLNa17 on the downstream signal of GPIbα than pure mechanical tension at the atomic level, and would be useful for further understanding the platelet intracellular force-regulated signal pathway.
The intracellular domain of clusters of differentiation 44 (CD44) binding to the FERM (protein 4.1-ezrin-radixin-moesin) domain of ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) proteins and furthermore triggering the recruitment of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) are very important in the process of tumor cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. At first, it was found that CD44/FERM structure was stable by observing CD44/FERM complex conformation and analyzing the interaction of interface residues both in static crystal structure and in equilibrium process. Meanwhile, unconventional immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM-like), and phosphorylation sites Y191 and Y205 were buried in FERM domain, which would hinder the phosphorylation of ERM proteins, the recruitment of Syk and subsequent signal transduction. Then, steered molecular dynamics simulation was applied to simulate the interaction between CD44 and FERM domain in the mechanical environment. The results showed that mechanical signal could induce the exposure of the ITAM-like motif and phosphorylation site Y205 by tracking and analyzing CD44/FERM complex conformational changes and the solvent-accessible surface area. This study revealed how the force regulates the activation of downstream signal through CD44 intracellular domain for the first time, and would be useful for further understanding the adhesion and migration pathway of cancer cells and the design of antitumor drugs.
Fibrinogen (Fg) in human plasma plays an important role in hemostasis, vascular repair and tissue integrity. The surface chemistry of extracellular matrix or biological materials affects the orientation and distribution of Fg, and changes the exposure of integrin binding sites, thereby affecting its adhesion function to platelets. Here, the quantity, morphology and side chain exposure of Fg adsorbed on hydrophilic, hydrophobic and avidin surfaces were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and flow cytometry (FCM), then the rolling behavior of platelets on Fg was observed through a parallel plate flow chamber system. Our results show that the hydrophobic surface leads to a large amount of cross-linking and aggregation of Fg, while the hydrophilic surface reduces the adsorption and accumulation of Fg while causing the exposure and spreading of the α chain on Fg and further mediating the adhesion of platelets. Fg immobilized by avidin / biotin on hydrophilic surface can maintain the monomer state, avoid over exposure and stretching of α chain, and bind to the platelets activated by the A1 domain of von Willebrand factor instead of inactivated platelets. This study would be helpful for improving the blood compatibility of implant biomaterials and reasonable experimental design of coagulation in vitro.
The binding of talin-F0 domain to ras-related protein 1b (Rap1b) plays an important role in the formation of thrombosis. However, since talin is a force-sensitive protein, it remains unclear whether and how force regulates the talin-F0/Rap1b interaction. To explore the effect of force on the binding affinity and the dynamics mechanisms of talin-F0/Rap1b, molecular dynamics simulation was used to observe and compare the changes in functional and conformational information of the complex under different forces. Our results showed that when the complex was subjected to tensile forces, there were at least two dissociation pathways with significantly different mechanical strengths. The key event determining the mechanical strength difference between the two pathways was whether the β4 sheet of the F0 domain was pulled away from the original β1-β4 parallel structure. As the force increased, the talin-F0/Rap1b interaction first strengthened and then weakened, exhibiting the signature of a transition from catch bonds to slip bonds. The mechanical load of 20 pN increased the interaction index of two residue pairs, ASP54-ARG41 and GLN18-THR65, which resulted in a significant increase in the affinity of the complex. This study predicts the regulatory mechanism of the talin-F0/Rap1b interaction by forces in the intracellular environment and provides novel ideas for the treatment of related diseases and drug development.
The effect of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) on promoting intravascular microthrombi formation and exacerbating the severity of sepsis in patients has gained extensive attention. However, in sepsis, the mechanisms and key signaling molecules mediating NET formation during direct interactions of endothelial cells and neutrophils still need further explored. Herein, we utilized lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a component shared by Gram-positive bacteria, to induce NET extrusion from neutrophils firmly adhered to the glass slides coated with intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1). We also used Sytox green to label NET-DNA and Flou-4 AM as the intracellular Ca2+ signaling indicator to observe the NET formation and fluctuation of Ca2+ signaling. Our results illustrated that LTA was able to induce NET release from neutrophils firmly attached to ICAM-1-coated glass slides, and the process was time-dependent. In addition, our study indicated that LTA-induced NET release by neutrophils stably adhered to ICAM-1 depended on Ca2+ signaling but not intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study reveals NET formation mediated by direct interactions between endothelial ICAM-1 and neutrophils under LTA stimulation and key signaling molecules involved, providing the theoretical basis for medicine development and clinical treatment for related diseases.
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play an important role in the formation of immunothrombosis. However, how vascular endothelial cells mediate the formation of NETs has not been fully understood. We stimulated neutrophils firmly attached on the endothelial cell surface intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) for 4 h, then labeled NETs-DNA with Sytox green dye and the formation of NETs was observed by fluorescent microscopy. The area and fluorescence intensity of NETs-DNA were analyzed to quantify the formation of NETs. The results showed that both PMA and LPS were able to induce firmly adhered neutrophils on ICAM-1 to produce NETs. NETs induced by PMA were independent of neither β2 integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) nor macrophage antigen complex-1 (Mac-1). In contrast, LPS-stimulated NETs were mediated by Mac-1 integrin, but not by LFA-1. After inhibition of actin filaments or Talin-1, the formation of NETs irrespective of the stimulus was significantly reduced. This study reveals the mechanism of the direct interaction between neutrophils and endothelial cells to produce NETs under inflammatory conditions, providing a new theoretical basis for the treatment of related diseases and the development of new drugs.
ObjectiveTo observe the proteomic changes in vitreous fluid samples from patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment combined with choroidal detachment (RRDCD). MethodsA prospective cross-sectional clinical study. Vitreous fluid samples were collected from 35 patients with RRDCD (RRDCD group) and 40 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD group) who were diagnosed at Wuhan Aier Eye Hospital between November 2021 and December 2023. Prior to vitrectomy, 0.3-0.5 ml of vitreous fluid was collected from the affected eyes. Differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA). Three of these proteins were randomly selected for validation using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Bioinformatics analyses, including gene ontology functional enrichment and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment, were performed to explore the functions of the differentially expressed proteins. ResultsSignificant differences were observed between the RRDCD and RRD groups in intraocular pressure (t=－12.795), the number of retinal tears (t=4.601), the extent of retinal detachment (χ2=39.642), axial length (t=0.840), postoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy incidence (χ2=4.730), single-surgery reattachment rate (χ2=7.717), and best-corrected visual acuity (t=7.033) at 6 months postoperatively (P＜0.05). A total of 237 differentially expressed proteins were identified between the RRDCD and RRD groups, with 63 upregulated and 174 downregulated. These proteins were involved in pathways such as extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, complement activation, coagulation, and lysosomal pathways. ELISA validation results showed that the expression trends of the three selected proteins in the RRDCD and RRD groups were consistent with the DIA proteomic analysis. Compared to the RRD group, proteins such as fibrin, coagulation factors, cathepsins, and trypsin inhibitors were significantly upregulated in the RRDCD group.ConclusionsThe protein expression profile in vitreous fluid samples from RRDCD patients show significant alterations compared to the RRD group. These differential changes suggest that RRDCD is closely associated with complement and coagulation cascade activation, lysosomal pathways, and extracellular matrix remodeling.